A baaridah was a cold meat or vegetable dish served before the hot dishes. Following pre-Islamic Iranian tradition, when a baaridah was made with fowl, it was usually a sort of chopped cucumber salad garnished with the roast meat. Some recipes call for only the seeds of cucumbers, which makes for a luxurious, slippery texture. This particular recipe is that of Harun’s famous vizier, Yahya ibn Khalid al-Barmaki. Verjuice, the juice of sour grapes, is sold in Middle Eastern markets as abghureh or hisrmi. If you can’t find it, lemon juice will do.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken breast, roasted

1 teaspoon coriander

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon cumin

⅛ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup verjuice or lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced fresh mint

2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt

1 cucumber, peeled and cut in ¼-inch dice

Method:

When chicken is cool, remove skin and bones, and tear meat into small pieces.